NurseSince2014

I would almost think that if an investigation is being completed that it would fall more on the supervisor's inaction, not yourself, especially if you weren't aware of the notification policy. Hopefully, they just use this as a reminder of what the facility protocol is, and it doesn't go anywhere else from there, at least not with you. Based on what you are saying, their focus should be on the supervisor.

You meet interesting characters

Probably volume 50-60 instead of 100

In our facility, we used to have a resident that loved watching/listening to loud cartoons. Ever since she has passed away, the TV in her room, as well as others, turn on every once in a while to the same TV station at the same maximum volume. While it seems likely that a living person is doing this, nobody knows who it is...and therefore, we joke that it is the ghost of the deceased resident.

Sorry but this doesn't sound like a good idea. You don't want to have the stress of both being on orientation and having to study for the NCLEX. Take the NCLEX as soon as you can while the information is still fresh in your memory and you still have good study habits. That way, you have one less stressor to worry about.

If you get a job in a rehab/LTC facility, don't avoid it just because you're afraid you won't get a job in a hospital. Plenty of nurses make the move from these facilities to hospitals; I've actually known a couple of them that have successfully done so. Plus, these facilities aren't as lacking in skills as one might think. At our facility, we get IVs, PICC lines, tube feedings, bladder scanning, catheters, ostomies, many wounds in addition to the massive amount of medications we pass. The patients aren't necessarily medically stable, either, so you'll have acute situations that happen. Plus, you have many patients with cognitive/memory issues and a LOT of falls. With that said, if you are offered an acute care position I would consider that just because the workload in rehab/LTC is very, very large. During the day, you might have up to 20 patients, and at night, possibly 56 patients. It can be hard for me to keep up and I've had a couple of years of experience. I imagine it's probably overwhelming for the new grads who start and are expected to take a full load almost right away. When I say right away...pretty much after 5 days of orientation, you're expected to be on your own. In a hospital, you'll get at least a few weeks/months of orientation and your patient load won't be so large. BUT...if you can't get a hospital job, go ahead and go for rehab/LTC. Whether or not a future employer decides not to hire you is based on personal preference. It is certainly not true that no acute care managers ever hire a nurse with rehab/LTC experience. Good luck!

She has, but she hasn't had much luck so was hoping that "knowing" someone on the unit would help. But I don't see how you really "know" anybody just by friending them on Facebook, especially if you never even talk with them. Anyway, it's been a few days since I've talked to her, so I have no idea where she's actually at anymore.

Sorry, I've been busy with a conference and then attending work the past couple of days. No time for AllNurses.

Sorry, I have been away from AllNurses for a few days. I've been busy attending a conference, and then was working the last two days. But nothing's changed much at work, other than the cartoons aren't QUITE as loud as they used to be.

That's typically what I do as well. I just wonder if it's actually the right thing to do since the patient's pain is technically not at a 7. I'm curious, for example, if state surveyors would see it the same way.

You're right-it doesn't affect me. I just thought it was a strange situation and wanted to help out, if possible. I see it's probably best to just let her make her own mistakes and live with the consequences.

Maybe not with the numbers 8 and 9. But say someone is going back and forth between a 6 and a 7. For a pain level up to a 6, you can give 2.5 mg of oxycodone, for example. However, for pain 7-10, that dose increases to 5mg. So, if someone rates their pain as 6.5...do I round down and give them the 2.5mg or do I round up and give 5mg?

We're two different people, but yeah it may be time to cut ties with her. This is too strange.

I guess I'm not sure if the account itself would be closed but you can get banned from sending future friend requests. My grandma temporarily had a freeze on her ability to send friend requests after she sent them to too many people that don't know her. Plus, I'm sure if she is reported for harassment they could shut her account down for that.

I'm glad this is all it came to, but this was still very bad and you should consider yourself very lucky. With a different manager, you definitely could have had issues with the BON. Don't be surprised if they monitor you more closely now and aren't as forgiving with future errors. In fact, be very careful not to make any more errors for a significant period of time. Of course, the nurse who signed off as witnessing a waste is partially responsible too. Never sign yourself as a witness without actually witnessing the event. Good luck as you move on and learn from this event